My family and I spent our Spring Break at Kingsmill Resort. This was our first time. I chose Kingsmill after reading some of the reviews on TripAdvisor and also because of its proximity to Busch Gardens and Colonial Williamsburg, less than 20 minutes driving. The propery itself was beautiful. It is located in a gated community which appears to include both rental and residential and is located next to the James River. You have to check in at the main building. When the gentleman at the front desk was ready for me, he waved me over. A "next guest please" would have been polite and preferred. He also did not tell me anything about the property except for the shuttle to the nearby attractions and about only one of the many onsite restaurants. I learned more about the property after again reading Tripadvisor. I would definitely suggest that the front desk take time to fill in first time guests about all the amenities of the property.
The rooms are located in units throughout the property. We rented a guest room with 2 double beds which was located in the rear of the unit. The room was small. However, it was fine for 2 adults and 2 small kids. The room was clean and had a sliding door in the rear which had a grassy area where the kids played. We were located near the tennis courts which I thought would pose a noise problem. Fortunately, it did not. However, the units also have an upstairs and downstairs which appear to be for larger groups. There was a family of more than 6 staying at the adjoined portion of the unit. There was only a thin door separating the units which allowed us to hear them every morning so sleeping in was not an option. It was not the worse thing but I would have preferred not having to hear this family and their kids at 7am when I'm on vacation. The bathroom was immaculate and more than enough fresh, clean towels were provided. There was also terrycloth robes available which were a nice plus. Our room was cleaned each day and even one morning the young lady who cleaned the room mistook a note to myself to purchase a robe and body lotion as a request for her to supply more for the room which she was kind enough to do. This was definitely appreciated.
As for the property itself, located next to the James River the views are amazing. There is plenty to do for the entire family - golf, tennis, swimming (indoor and outdoor), game room, spa and bike riding. My kids loved the Sports Center where the pool and game room are located. Every thing was walking distance from our room. Although shuttles are available for travel within the property; something I did not learn until our last night.
As for dining, there are a number of restaurants on site. We had dinner at James Landing Grille located at the Marina. The view was beautiful. Although it was not warm enough to eat outdoors, this is an option. The food and service was good. They have a kids menu which worked out well since my son does not like seafood. For breakfast, we went to Bray Dining one morning which is located in the main building. They offer a breakfast buffet which had a wonderful selection including an omelet station. For roughly $9 per person, it is a great deal. There are other restaurants as well but we ventured off property too. Check out Richmond Road and Pocahantas Trail for other dining options.
Like other reviews, I must speak of the staff which I have mixed feelings and honestly is my only issue with Kingsmill. Fortunately, most of the staff was very polite particularly Elliott, the gentlemen who delivered our room service, the older gentleman at the Sports Center, the grounds crew and Michael, at the front desk upon checkout. There were a couple of instances with the staff that did not sit well with me. When my husband visited The Mill where coffee and baked goods are sold, the woman at the register asked if he was working at the resort. Unsure why she found the need to ask if he was a worker and not a guest. Also, when you first gain entry to the resort at the security gate you're given a large, yellow pass (visible to the naked eye) to place in your windshield during your stay. We had no problem with the exception of one female security guard who both times she was there found it necessary to scrutinize the car before letting up the gate; whereas other securty guards waved us in without issue. I could only assume in this day and age that sensitivity and diversity training is provided to staff and if it's not, it definitely should.
Overall, my family especially the kids enjoyed themselves. As mentioned, most of the staff was polite and understood the importance of customer service. What I could only deem as ignorance among a couple of the staff would not prevent us from visiting again.
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